Many remember Atul Tandon as the hot Lipton Tea ‘Sher dil jawanon ke liye’ model who set a million hearts aflutter. There are others who remember him for his stints at Hindustan Lever, Bajaj Electricals, Cadbury (India) and also as Managing Director of JL Morrison (India). He was Mentor Professor at the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication till recently. But he’s most remembered for his stint as Director of MICA (eka Mudra Institute of Communciations) from 2001 to 2009. He passed away at the airport in London on Sunday, March 1, morning due to a cardiac arrest. We invited his former colleague Chandan Chatterjee to pay this tribute.

By Chandan Chatterjee

PAT is an acronym that to everyone connected with MICA translates uniquely to “the man who propelled MICA on its journey to greatness” (as stated by Prof. Rajneesh Krishna). Prof A S Kulkarni had laid out a solid academic foundation during his tenure as the previous Director (of MICA) and PAT maintained that aspect while he embarked on building Brand MICA and make it an institution with a difference.The change in focus and thrust at MICA initiated by PAT since taking over as Director in the early 2000 is still visible and the rest is history.

PAT was solely responsible for my getting into academics as a full-time career. I had been teaching a variety of marketing, strategy and process courses at several institutes of decent reputation on my spare time while working as a senior management professional. Having heard a lot about the marketing focus at MICA, I wrote to PAT and pat came the reply (pun intended) in less than 24 hours, requesting to meet him and his colleagues on campus at Ahmedabad for a chat.

I got the mandate to teach Advanced Marketing Management course in July 2006. The student feedback was high (actually way higher than the average). And, then PAT got into the serious business of convincing me to shift from my IT industry job at a fraction of the salary I was getting. And, given his charisma and the vision that he had for MICA he succeeded, when I joined MICA as a Professor in November 2007.

We worked closely on curriculum, delivery, academic systems and processes as initially I handled these responsibilities as the PGP Chairperson and later as Dean MICA. Over those three years, he supported the efforts to enhance the cafeteria-based offerings, supported the interested faculty members to get into detailing courses and areawise course approval processes, enhancement of the dissertation processes.

In summary, working with PAT meant a whole lot of free hand and a very long rope, if any at all. PAT operated on a 50% rationality and 50% gut-feel mode on most decisions. But, he would also let anyone convinced about a better way of getting things done have a try. And, a section of faculty felt that there really was no point in trying since “we were MICA”!

From the point of view of most who knew him, PAT oozed Charisma, charm and that unique blend of sophistication with a “Don’t give a damn attitude”. Students would remember him as being open, fun, accessible, a friend and a father figure all rolled into one. As my ex-student Archita (Trisal) posted on my FB timeline yesterday:

It was no secret that Prof Chandan Chatterjee was a terror in our first semester at MICA. Before one such class of his, a bunch of students were found digging into their Kotlers for pre-reads. Prof Atul Tandan saw this and commented “Stop studying so hard! Go organize a festival, act in a play, go out and DO things. That’s how you’ll learn.” You don’t expect such words from the Director of a college, and that’s what made MICA a balanced, fun, open and genuinely cool place to be at. We carry that camaraderie, the spirit of working well in teams and the want to enjoy our careers from a man who ridiculously enjoyed every day of his life.

Yet he would also talk to members of visiting delegations from foreign universities (and many visited) about the rigour and innovative pedagogy at MICA, citing the same “terrorising” act, and detail the recent enhancements in the academic systems and processes! Permitting multiple points of view to co-exist was a great trait in PAT!

Prof Anita Basalingappa sums it up on her recent FB post as “PAT touched a chord with everyone of us irrespective of the agreements, differences and strained and comfortable relationship shared. It was hard not to get mesmerized by him.”. It’s the mix of emotions that he generated and the love and affection simultaneously, is what made PAT unique.

I am certain that many of the ideas that we discussed across the years have been implemented and made a difference. PAT was also closely associated with the turnaround that we did at SIMC Pune, where he was our Mentor Professor. The new branding approach, the inspiration behind our new logo, and positioning all have his contribution and thought built into them. In our curriculum discussions, he would always come out with forward-looking questions that would set the thinking rolling along a new path, for some specific course. And his contacts among industry professionals were simply phenomenal. I do not recall attending a meeting with PAT where he did not dazzle! I learnt a lot from PAT between 2007-10 at MICA and then again when he was a Mentor Professor for us between 2011-13 at SIMC Pune.

PAT will live on through Brand MICA! And also SIMC Pune and every other academic system he has worked closely with. To me PAT was and will always be a legend and it was a privilege knowing and working with him closely. It will be huge loss to me personally! RIP PAT. Our loss will be the gain up there!

Chandan Chatterjee is Director SIMC Pune, and Dean Faculty of Media, Communication & Design at Symbiosis International University. He is available at Chandanc22@yahoo.co.in

The Association of Indian Magazines (AIM), the apex body of magazine publishers in India, commissioned leading market research firm IMRB in 2010 to conduct a large survey, covering a sample size of 3,600 over 10 cities. The study released at the Indian Magazine Congress held in Chennai on February 23 and 24, has shown high engagement scores for magazines on all key parameters like ad avoidance, information seeking, purchase intent and such.

Mitrajit Bhattacharya

Industry leaders urged AIM to take these findings forward and create an index as a composite score, which would clearly demonstrate the extent to which magazines are engaging, vis-a-vis other media. “That’s exactly what we did,” says AIM President Mitrajit Bhattacharya, adding: “We ran a regression analysis on the same data and came out with weights for individual indices like Mind Measures (weight .59), Ad Avoidance (-.32) etc. and then we created a Composite Index.”

A two-step process was followed to create the Engagement Index. The first step entailed running a regression on a key dependent variable and evaluating the hierarchy of each of the partial engagement indices. The second step required evaluating each medium on the partial engagement indices and arriving at a final Engagement Index.

The study demonstrates that magazines are twice as engaging as television and radio (239 indexed to 100 of Radio).

The Association of Business Communicators of India has presented Pankaj Mudholkar, MD of Aakriti Promotions & Media Ltd, with the Communicator of the Year award for 2013-14. This was conferred at the ABCI’s 54th annual awards nite in Mumbai on Friday February 27, 2015. The Association promotes excellence in business communications and the first awards nite was organised way back in 1960.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Mudholkar, said, “This recognition is for the hundreds of backroom boys in communication. They work tirelessly sacrificing their personal lives and are the stars behind the stars.I dedicate this award to my extended family members at Aakriti, my clients who believed in me and our associates including friends in media.”

The ABCI also felicitated Ram Mohan, regarded as Father of the Animation Industry in India and Dr Ram Tarneja, former publisher of The Times of India, besides many other professionals.

As the Indian media was trying to cover the Union Budget in as dramatic and in some cases as unbiased a way as possible, it was being hit by an internal crisis. The Indian Express has published internal correspondence between employees of the industrial giant Essar which reveals that favours were done not just to politicians but also to senior journalists across media houses. The result is that at least two have lost their jobs and others will follow.

So far, Sandeep Bamzai has resigned as editor of Mail Today and Anupama Airy as energy editor of Hindustan Times. The other people named in the leaks from Essar include Meetu Jain of Times Now, Mayur Shekhar Jha of News24, Dev Sharan Tiwari and Shereen Bhan of CNBC.

There are also allegations that Tehelka attempted to spin stories in favour of Essar since Essar was a sponsor of the magazine’s “Think” festivals. Other journalists in Jharkhand seen as “sympathetic” to Essar also got various favours.

Interestingly, most of these favours as seen from press reports seem to consist of offering cars and cab services, hosting parties for journalists and allowing them to use Essar facilities like guesthouses. By any of today’s standards when it comes to freebies, these are small cheese. But judging from the way top journalists have resigned, one suspects that the actual transgressions are much bigger.

Indeed, as anyone in journalism knows, ethical standards when it comes to accepting favours and junkets have practically vanished. It more or less depends on the personal value system of every journalist. For the past 15 years at least, managements have even encouraged journalists to accept particular favours, if it cuts down on their newsgathering costs. In the worst case, the hand-over-fist bartering of editorial space in newspapers by journalists led to Bennett Coleman introducing Medianet, so that the company could take over the sale of news space.

As the fight between Airy of Hindustan Times and her bosses shows, the lines have become very blurred in media houses, over what is acceptable and what is not. At the risk of sounding unbearably self-righteous, when I started working in journalism in the 1980s, nothing was allowed. Colleagues who were caught accepting favours lost their jobs. Within 10 years, all that had changed. Managements encouraged journalists to go on junkets. Business press conferences were all about gifts which were flaunted around offices. Senior editors openly wrote puff pieces about politicians and were rewarded with flats.

Just about every media house which raised its eyebrows when the Times of India started Medianet has since succumbed in one way or another. One very senior journalist who wrote very strong pieces against Medianet was exposed by the Radia tapes. If Medianet is restricted to glamour news, the phenomenon of “paid news” refers to the pages once seen as sacrosanct. Business sold out long ago. At the risk of being dramatic, there is no part of a journal or a broadcast which is not for sale.

The Radia tapes dented the credibility of all of us. The Essar leaks have pushed us to a new depth. Or rather, Indian Express has exposed to the public what we within the profession already knew. Contrarily, I can only hope that this is just the opening of the can of worms. For a profession that is so sanctimonious about corruption in other fields, if we cannot clean our own stables then we deserve all the opprobrium placed on our heads. I can be even more self-righteous and say that if we do not take heed then we are doing not just ourselves but democracy a disservice.

Posterscope India has conceptualised and executed a high visibility out-of-home campaign for IDBI Federal Life Insurance. The task put forth by IDBI Federal Life Insurance team was to popularise their flagship offering – ‘IDBI Federal Lifesurance Whole Life’ plan – in the market and to develop a visible and targeted campaign that would support and boost their on-ground sales.

The objective of the campaign was to effectively reach out to the brand’s core target audience – males, 25-44 years, SEC A and B – across 100 locations pan India.

The challenge awaiting the Posterscope team was twofold – first, the need to cover a humungous geographical spread in a short span and second, to juggle with multiple creatives in numerous languages. It was with the help of a well-crafted implementation strategy and effective co-ordination with the IDBI Federal team that Posterscope India managed to delivered a successful campaign within the stipulated timelines.

The campaign was executed with good planning and effective consumer targeting through identification of relevant consumer touch points –media placement at key high traffic locations, arterial roads, congregation points and also near partner bank branches across all cities and appropriate media selection.

The result culminated into a massive execution, entailing 350+media units with 200+ unique artwork adaptations, multi location printing, with all media locally evaluated and approved. All this was done across all markets in record time!

Additionally, an intelligently-planned cinema screen advertising campaign was executed across multiplexes and single screen movie theatres in key markets across India to ensure that the brand’s message was well communicated and consumed by movie goers during the prime movie releases of the season.

Commenting on the campaign, Aneesh Khanna, Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer, IDBI Federal Insurance said, “In a category, where most life insurance players have refrained from advertising whole life plans, we have taken the bold step of communicating a complex product in a simple, yet an interesting way. Posterscope helped us reach out to mass India with our product proposition in a timely and a cost- efficient manner. Their choice of locations and media touchpoints has ensured that the communication stands out in the clutter of financial services advertising.”

Haresh Nayak

Expressing the interest, Haresh Nayak, Regional Director, Posterscope Asia Pacific & Managing Director, Posterscope Group India stated that, “We are delighted with this appointment and thank the IDBI management for considering us worthy for OOH and Ambient offerings. We are confident that we can add strategic value in making the IDBI brand a household name across the country.”

Lowe and Partners Worldwide has announced the appointment of a new CEO for Sri Lanka. Hari Krishnan, a former protégé of Lowe Lintas has been appointed the CEO of Lowe LDB Sri Lanka. He would be reporting to Joseph George, CEO of Lowe Lintas + Partners, India.

Hari Krishnan

Hari Krishnan joins the agency from GREY where he was the Sr. Vice President & Business Head for South. His new mandate would be to drive Lowe LDB Sri Lanka into being a leading creative powerhouse in the country. The only “Superbrand” in the Advertising category in Sri Lanka, Lowe LDB manages a diverse portfolio of brands across various categories from Detergents to Insurance to Telecom. The agency was also the most awarded agency at the Effies in 2013 and together with Unilever is the most awarded partnership in the history of Effies in Sri Lanka.

Commenting on the appointment, Joseph George, CEO of Lowe Lintas + Partners, India said, “It’s good to have Hari back into our fold after all these years. Having learned the nitty-gritty of the business since his formative days at Lowe coupled with his vast exposure across other agencies in senior roles, Hari Krishnan is perfectly placed to lead the agency in Sri Lanka. Over the last five years, Sri Lanka has seen high GDP growths and the country is at an exciting inflection point now.”

Sharing his views on making a return to his alma mater, Hari Krishnan said, “I started my career with Lintas in India in ’96-97 and learnt my fundamentals from the great University of knowledge that is Lowe Lintas. So I’m extremely happy and thrilled to be back. It’s a homecoming of sorts in that sense. It’s an honour and a challenge to lead such an operation and I’m really looking forward to partnering the young, talented team there in driving the philosophy of ‘Populist Creativity’ and taking Lowe LDB to greater heights.”

Hari Krishnan has almost two decades of work experience; nearly all of it in advertising besides a stint as Vice President, Marketing with Star TV. He has experience across multiple categories/consumer segments, in leading large multi-functional teams and in leading a P&L operation to success. In his last job at GREY India as Sr. Vice President & Business Head, Hari spearheaded the transformation of the agency operations in South including leading the agency to a spree of new biz acquisitions including DELL India, ITC Foods, Stovekraft, Fortis Healthcare amongst others.

Onida is all set to unveil their new range of i-Genius air conditioners, based on a revolutionary new technology platform – IOT (Internet of Things).

Sunil Shankar, Business Head – AC, Onida said: “Onida i-Genius ACs are the next step in the evolution of air conditioning. With smart features like Smart Sleep Manager and Self-Diagnosis Manager, the i-Genius is built for today’s smartphone generation. The ‘Onida Aircon App’ allows complete control of your AC from anywhere in the world.”

“Be it the Indian ‘Menu-specific Microwave Ovens or the original TV with a thunderous sound, Onida has a reputation of innovating for the Indian market. The i-Genius is another example of a product which is ahead of its time,” shared Dhunji S. Wadia, President, Everest Brand Solutions.

The campaign aims to target focus markets with print, digital and radio as the key mediums of communication.

Tarun Rai formally assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer J. Walter Thompson South Asia today. He will be based out of the agency’s Mumbai office. He succeeds Colvyn Harris who will assume the role of Executive Director, Global Growth and Client Development.

In his new role as CEO, Mr Rai will lead J. Walter Thompson South Asia, which includes India, Sri Lanka and Nepal, as well as J. Walter Thompson’s Indian companies, including Contract Advertising, Hungama Digital Services, J. Walter Thompson Mindset, Encompass and Social Wavelength.

“I am delighted to take charge of J. Walter Thompson’s South Asia operations and look forward to connecting with each of our offices and clients across the region. It’s a great homecoming for me and I am very excited to kick start this new inning,” Mr Rai said.

Mr Rai joins J. Walter Thompson from Worldwide Media, where he held the role of CEO since 2008. During his previous tenure at J. Walter Thompson, he helped build some of the world’s most reputed brands; his clients included Hindustan Unilever, Diageo, GlaxoSmithKline, Pizza Hut, De Beers, ITC, Tata Steel, Nestlé, Hero, Godrej and Kellogg’s.

]]>http://www.mxmindia.com/2015/03/newsstand-how-the-newspapers-displayed-the-budget-2015-news-on-their-page-1s/feed/0So what was the Budget like for M&E?http://www.mxmindia.com/2015/03/so-what-was-the-budget-like-for-me/
http://www.mxmindia.com/2015/03/so-what-was-the-budget-like-for-me/#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 05:09:45 +0000mxmadminhttp://www.mxmindia.com/?p=72853

A cross-section of captains of media and entertainment companies tell us how they found Budget 2015

Punit Goenka, MD & CEO, Zee Entertainment

This is indeed a futuristic and growth-oriented Super Budget presented by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. It has addressed both the overall tax concerns, and portrayed a positive picture for the investor. It is a Budget to remember for the common man as well, since it has addressed all key aspects, like housing, jobs and education. Congratulations to Jaitley for wonderfully addressing the nation’s concerns through the Budget, and for setting some key goals for 2022

Tarun Katial, CEO, Reliance Broadcast Network

The Budget is positive, realistic and progressive in nature. Overall, it seems to be well thought of, with a holistic approach, and some key announcements for the services industry. The proposed reduction in corporate tax over the next four years is encouraging, as it will result in higher investments, growth and more jobs. The move to increase the service tax, however, will put smaller advertisers under pressure, and hamper advertising spends. The move on CSR is good, and radio can be used effectively as a catalyst for social transformation in initiatives like Swachh Bharat, since it reaches even the remotest of the corners [of the country] where no other medium can. This will be especially true with Phase III and deeper reach in radio.

Two words sum up the essence of Budget 2015: Balance and clarity. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley walked the tightrope by staying away from Big Bang announcements that might have strained the fiscal position, while taking substantial steps on matters of tax, social security and public investment (especially in infrastructure). On the reduction in corporate tax rates to 25%, the four-year implementation roadmap is a welcome addition. This is the clarity the corporate sector needs so far as tax policy is concerned. While personal income tax slabs remain unchanged, higher exemptions are targeted towards savings and would add to retirement income in taxpayers’ wallets. These ‘wallets’ too, will have a different connotation given the FM’s vision for a cashless society. The reduction in withholding tax rates (to 10%) on royalty and FTS payments to non-residents has finally been granted. The increase in service tax is probably to bring the rate closer to the rates expected under the GST regime. In that context, the step is the proverbial bitter pill for our industry.

Smita Jha, leader, Entertainment & Media Practice, PwC India

The Budget has many references to the entertainment and media industry though there are no large announcements. The GDP growth target of an expected 8-8.5% will provide fillip to growth in the advertising industry. Clarity in the GST timetable is also significant, as entertainment tax being subsumed into GST will not only help bring uniformity in taxes across states, but also bring transparency in box office collections. There are many small reliefs provided to the industry, like exemption of the film exhibition industry from service tax thereby removing the possibility of dual taxation with the entertainment tax. Reduction in customs duty on import of digital cameras and accessories used for film production, will also help curtail production costs. The removal of certain entertainment activities from the negative list may, prima facie, seem unfavourable, but this will bring uniformity in taxation and thus be beneficial to the industry in the long-term.

Zafar Rais, CEO, MindShift Interactive

The new government’s maiden budget proposes to levy service tax for online and mobile advertising, which we believe will adversely affect the industry’s growth. It reflects differentiated treatment, as traditional print media remains unaffected with respect to the tax purview but the new, digital media that is actually driving innovation, will have to bear the brunt. Currently, India’s exponential mobile penetration and app consumption patterns are driving the growth of the mobile advertising industry, and this tax could hamper the innovation efforts of the entire ecosystem comprising mobile development startups, advertisers and publishers. We would have preferred a more future-focused policy regarding this particular aspect.

Sumit Jain, Co-Founder & CEO, CommonFloor.com

The move to allot Rs 1,000 crore to tech start-ups is only a reiteration of the government’s intent and purpose. The corpus, as such, is not substantial and we can only hope that there will be a fast and efficient disbursement of this fund. Jaitley also referred to a more liberal system of raising global capital and the ease of doing business, which are encouraging and would eventually create employment opportunities in the country.